Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials

How can you use evaluation to do more than report outcomes—to make better decisions, adapt your strategy, and strengthen your work? In this replay of our live 2026 NAAEE Brightspot session, Earth Force and Data+Soul share practical examples of using Emergent Learning to build evaluation capacity and turn what you learn into action. We'll talk about how to move from observations to insights, te...

How can a local environmental project create lasting, systemic change? SJ, Earth Force’s District Strategy Lead, brings together Yannos Misitzis, a Special Education educator at Longfellow Middle School; Kate Carey, a parent and naturalist club leader; Wendy Cohen, a community environmental volunteer; and Aleko, a student leader, to share how invasive plant removal and native plant restoration gre...

What is Environmental Applied Civics—and what isn’t it? In this episode, members of Earth Force's Program Team SJ, Taylor, and Alyssa explain what EAC is, how it works, and what sets it apart. Listeners will learn how young people investigate local environmental issues, work with community members and decision-makers, and use science, civic skills, and lived experience to create change. They a...

Krysten Dorfman and Taylor Ruffin welcome back Cedar Barg of The Wild Center to talk about the evolution of Climate Action Planning (CAP) resources and their collaboration with Earth Force. They explore how Earth Force tools—including community inventories, root cause analysis, and power mapping—have been integrated into Youth Climate Summits, how facilitators are adapting the process for differen...

In this episode of  Field Chats , Alyssa McConkey and Vince Meldrum dig into what the data reveals about changes in educators, student confidence and skills, and young people’s ability to participate in local environmental decision-making. They also share a powerful story about fourth graders who helped their community identify a problem adults had overlooked—and sparked action to address it. 00:0...

How can educators use community inventories to help students investigate local environmental issues? In this episode of  Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials , the Earth Force Program Team explores practical ways to use inventories as part of Environmental Applied Civics (EAC) and project-based learning. Learn how students can use data collection, surveys, interviews, maps, nature...

Explore Earth Force’s new Environmental Applied Civics (EAC) Educator Guide in this visual walkthrough. The guide is a comprehensive resource for educators who want to engage young people in authentic, community-based learning through youth-adult partnerships and environmental civic action. In this episode of  Field Chats , we walk through the updated guide and highlight its new EAC roadmap, three...

We're in the field for an update on a crowd favorite Environmental Applied Civics legacy project at Katherine Johnson Middle School! Young people set up a closed-loop food system - reducing landfill trash from school lunches by 75% thanks to chickens. Tune in to hear directly from young people and their teacher Ms. Alam on how they intend to ensure project sustainability, what they've lear...

In this episode, Earth Force CEO Vince Meldrum talks with Leia Lowery, Founder and CEO of The Climate Initiative (TCI). Leia shares how TCI grounds massive global climate issues at the local level to give students direct access to community action. They discuss the power of place-based education, how environmental action combats loneliness, and why students who struggle in traditional classrooms o...

This episode explores the  Water Education Exemplars Project , a Colorado initiative bridging the gap between state water policy and youth engagement. Earth Force's Alyssa McConkey speaks with veteran environmental educator  Donny Roush  and CSU student  Maya about the urgent need to meet the 2050 Colorado Water Plan goals. By training and compensating young people to serve as professional eva...

What happens when students stop just memorizing the three branches of government and start actually influencing them? In this episode of Field Chats, the Earth Force team discusses why "content knowledge" isn't enough to solve the climate crisis or rebuild civic trust. From stories of middle-school campaigning to the power of "agency as collectivity," the team explores how...

How do we move education beyond the four walls of the classroom? Vince Meldrum discusses this with Ace Parsi, formerly with iCivics, now a candidate for the U.S. House to represent West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District. They talk about public education as a public benefit and the necessity of transfer of learning - taking a concept from a textbook and applying it to a local bridge or a ne...

We see you, social studies educators! Earth Force program staff Krysten, SJ, and Taylor discuss how Environmental Action Civics (EAC) bridges science and social studies. They highlight how science and social studies come with different lenses, both offering an ideal learning space for young people to understand and address local environmental issues. Listen in for district examples in Denver and D...

In this episode of Field Chats: Environmental Action Civics Essentials , Alyssa McConkey talks with Dr. Antonio Gonzales of Albuquerque Public Schools and Erin Blaz and Theresa Aragon from the Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District about what authentic student learning looks like in New Mexico. They share how place-based experiences help students connect classroom learning to their own commun...

What does it take to move from youth interest in climate to state-level policy change? In this episode of Field Chats: Environmental Action Civics Essentials , we sit down with Mary Seawell, CEO of Lyra Colorado, to unpack the story behind Colorado’s Seal of Climate Literacy — a high school diploma endorsement created through Senate Bill 24-014. Mary shares how a small team, strong relationships w...

Earth Force CEO Vince Meldrum talks with NYLC CEO Amy Meuers about reimagining service learning as a pathway to democracy. They unpack NYLC’s new Ignite framework, explore the deep connections between service learning and Environmental Action Civics, and share how youth-led, community-centered action builds real impact—and belief in democracy. Learn more NYLC here: https://nylc.org/ Listen to the...

Hosted by Vince Meldrum, President/CEO of Earth Force, this episode is a replay of a 2025 EAC Week event. It features Cory Manning, previously at the City of Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency and Kelly Moses from Denver Public Schools’ Sustainability Office. Together, they unpack a youth-led climate grant program funded through Denver’s Climate Protection Fund and d...

In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Earl of the University of Delaware shares research that reframes how we understand youth participation in civic life. Drawing her research and others, she highlights the many ways young people are already engaging—through advocacy, community action, and organizing—often while navigating constraints created by adult systems and expectations.  The conversation explores...

In this end-of-year roundtable episode, the Earth Force team reflects on the people, books, and ideas that continue to shape Environmental Action Civics. Program staff and special guest CEO Vince Meldrum share influential people and ideas—from youth–adult partnerships and problem-posing education to data equity and organizational focus—and discuss how these ideas show up in our trainings, partners...

Earth Force Program Manager Taylor Ruffin and Chief Program Officer Alyssa McConkey dig into how Environmental Action Civics creates joyful, inquiry-driven learning experiences that strengthen youth–adult partnerships and deepen student agency. They highlight the often-unseen moments that make the EAC process meaningful and fun for both students and educators. Grounded in the 2025 Colorado Science...

This episode features Rachel Arbor, founder of Gaia Scholastic and a recent Presidential Innovation Award winner. Krysten, SJ, and Rachel dig into what interdisciplinary learning really looks like, why it matters for environmental literacy, and how Rachel’s journey—from informal ed to district-wide environmental leadership—inspired the creation of Gaia Scholastic. Tune in for a conversation about...

Today, we’re dropping into a recent Community of Practice gathering all about getting started — Step 1 of the Earth Force Process: inventories. You’ll hear how educators guide students to look closer at their communities and uncover the stories behind local environmental issues. To learn more and get connected to the free Community of Practice visit earthforce.org !

Tune in for a thoughtful and energizing look at how early civic experiences can spark lifelong leadership. Alyssa McConkey talks with Amelia and Bridget—college students who first experienced the EAC education method as seventh graders and now serve on the Earth Force Board of Directors. They share stories from their early projects, how those experiences shaped who they are today, and the lasting...

In this episode, we talk with Brekke Bounds, Executive Director of the Environmental Education Association of Illinois (EEAI), about how environmental action civics sparks change that extends beyond the classroom. Brekke shares the story of a water monitoring project at Libertyville High School, where students combined science and civic action to address local water issues.  In this episode, we us...

Tune in to our interview with 7th grade science teacher Carrie Lankford at Red Lion Area Junior High School in Red Lion, PA. She's entering her second year of teaching with Environmental Action Civics and shares her insights along the way! Part 2/2